How To Use Your Ruffler Foot

Lately, quite a few people have asked me all sorts of
questions about ruffler foot: how the ruffler works, how to use it, what sort of ruffler they need, the differences
between the different rufflers, and whether the ruffler they have in mind will fit their machine. The list goes on…..

Seeing that I’m still working on my own tutorials (which will be hosted on my own YouTube channel – woohoo!!), here’s
a quick guide I put together – using found resources powered by Google – to give you
an overview on ruffler foot – hopfully it will get you happily ruffling for the time being

Ok, let’s get started:

What Sort of Ruffler is right for my machine?

First,
consider the
“Shank Height” of your machine, because there are TWO variations:

Most domestic machines have LOW shanks. Just to give you an idea, we sell about 10 low shank presser feet to ONE high
shank foot.

That means if you don’t know what sort of shank your machine has, it’s probably a low shank. Because High Shank
machines are generally “fancy” embroidery models which are more costly, and those who invest in these models tend
to know exactly what shank type it is.

Apart from a few cosmetic or design differences, the only REAL difference is Ultimate Rufflers have an
extra adjustment.

Take a closer look (see pic on the right),
you will see one adjustable screw or “dial”.

As you loosen the screw or “dial” in or out, you will be able to
slide the whole foot left or right.

This is where you get to
adjust your foot in relation to your needle position to allow your ruffler foot clearance (so that your needle
does not hit any part of the ruffler).

This is only necessary if you have an unusual machine that has a unique needle position which cannot be changed.

This tends to apply only to really basic, budget machines which has little or no needle position adjustments (this is
very rare). Or older, more obscure makes and models.

For most people, there is NO need to go for the ultimate – I’ve tested BOTH rufflers and they are functionally identical.

To attach your ruffler on to your sewing machine

First of all you need to remove TWO things:

Whatever foot you’ve got on your machine right now

The Presser Foot Adaptor (sometimes referred to as “Foot Holder”).

Almost all of the feet that came with your sewing machine will be the “Snap-On” type (such as the Satin
Stitch / ZigZag Foot, Overedge Foot and our Quarter 1/4 inch Foot) as opposed to the “Screw-On” type (your Walking
Foot, Darning Foot and Binding Foot belongs to this group, so is your ruffler).

Before you do anything,
turn the hand wheel towards you to bring the needle to its highest position (see Figure 4 in diagram below).

Next you also need to
raise your presser foot, so that it is AWAY from the metal plate (see diagram below, but don’t worry too much
about the numbers).

To remove the snap-on presser foot, push the presser foot release – a
RED button or a lever – located behind the presser foot adaptor.

The presser foot will come off. Now be sure to put this foot in a safe spot so you know where to find it later….

Using a screwdriver (the one that comes with your machine is fine) to
undo that set screw on the side of the Foot Adaptor (see diagram below)

If your machine is brand new, and this is the first time you’ve tried to undo the screw, it will be fairly tight…..

Expect to use a bit of elbow grease and patience but NEVER use blunt force, because you don’t want to damage
the thread on the screw.

If you have a magnetic screwdriver
- the sort that will grab hold of your screw – it will make this job easier.

Remove the Foot Adaptor from your vertical presser bar

(commonly know as
“shank”, and sometimes called “the stem”)
and keep it in a safe place. You will need it to attach other feet.

DO NOT lose your Presser Foot Adaptor….

Because you NEED it to attach your snap-on feet back on your machine. BUT if you happen to lose it, Don’t Stress
– we have some spares in stock.

Put the little set screw somewhere Safe and Handy! You will need it again in a minute.

This is the part of your ruffler foot that MUST go around the Needle Clamp (i.e. that horizontal bar thing that
holds your needle in place). Making sure the top prong of the Fork Arm is ABOVE the Needle Clamp.

Now, see that “claw” thing with two prongs? That’s the part that holds onto your shank (aka vertical presser bar),
where the screw goes back in (between the two prongs) and fasten the whole foot onto the shank.

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